


Nine for the Dough

by misura



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: Gen, Joshua Faraday is Peter Quill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-04-29
Packaged: 2018-10-25 09:40:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10761618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: In which Goodnight does not run into a tree on his way out of Rose Creek.





	Nine for the Dough

Goodnight Robicheaux blearily looked up at the thing that had startled his horse.

He'd been half-expecting to see a familiar face, although truth be told, he'd spent the past five years trying to forget what any of the men he'd killed had looked like. Also, with some, he'd never really gotten a good look at their face.

Perfect headshots did not require you to know the color of someone's eyes.

"Now look what you've done! You broke it!" someone said.

"I am Groot." The thing did have a face, Goodnight realized. It had green eyes and a mouth and its expression implied a certain amount of concern for Goodnight's health that strongly suggested that he was hallucinating, although he supposed that the part where the thing looked like a tree and yet seemed to be moving and talking to him might have been considered a hint as to that particular state of affairs, too.

"Billy?" Never mind that there was no way, no how Billy could have made it here ahead of him.

Someone snickered.

"I am Groot," the tree repeated, and Goodnight realized that he'd lost his hat. Some years ago, possibly.

"Goodnight Robicheaux. At your service." Unlikely, but when in doubt and possibly outnumbered, poor manners rarely served to improve a situation.

"Well, look at that."

Goodnight turned his head this time. There was an animal of some sort standing to the side of him. It was holding a piece of paper.

"I am Groot."

"I'm getting to that! Sheesh. Yo, humie. You seen this guy around? Say, in the past two days or so?"

Not a wanted poster; just a sketch. Fairly well-done, as these things went, which did not put Goodnight under any sort of obligation to be truthful. Even so.

Even so, it was unlikely Joshua Faraday would live through tomorrow. A man might wish to settle any unfinished business remaining to him before moving on to another plane of existence.

"You'll be wanting to go to Rose Creek," Goodnight said. He wondered if his horse might have lacked the intelligence to run away. "It's not too far, provided you can ride."

"I am Groot," the tree said. It occurred to Goodnight that this was, perhaps, not the most constructive contribution it (she? he?) might have made to the conversation.

"A _map_? Does this look like the kind of idiot who carries around a map?"

Goodnight had not packed a map. He thought he might have neglected to pack food as well, or anything else a man might need to survive.

"Actually, I happened to be headed there myself," he said. "If you'd be so kind as to catch my horse?"

If nothing else, it would be good to see Billy again.

 

"I swear, I have never seen this tree before in my life," Faraday said.

Vasquez smirked. Horne frowned. "How would you know? A tree is a tree is a tree."

"I am Groot," the tree said, as Goodnight had expected him to.

"I do beg your pardon," Horne wheezed. "Still, I hope you will admit that the resemblance is very close. One might even say uncannily so."

"I am Groot." The tree seemed to smile kindly, providing a sharp contrast with the expression currently fixed on Billy's face. Ah well. Nothing Goodnight hadn't had coming.

Sam, now, that was a different story. No expression whatsoever, which was either very good or very bad, and no way to figure out which it was until he opened his mouth and told you.

"Goody."

So it was going to be like that, was it? "Sam."

"Bad call, to bring back a couple of civilians."

Fair enough. Goodnight relaxed a little, breathing in and out the way Billy had taught him, and putting on the smile he'd taught himself to smile. It had never fooled anyone into thinking he was happy, although on one or two occasions, it had caused grown men to wet themselves.

Sam arched an eyebrow and turned for another look at the tree and the thing that looked like something Horne might hunt and skin to make someone a hat. First impressions, and all that.

"How 'bout if I brought back the cavalry? That more to your liking?"

Sam nodded slowly. "Might be. Still, two of them?"

Goodnight shrugged. "Seven of us."

"Nine, now, I suppose," Sam said. "May God have mercy on our souls."

Goodnight didn't think any amount of mercy was going to save him from getting what he knew himself to deserve, but even so, it might be nice to die knowing Billy would go on, living and smoking and brawling his way through the mass of people unworthy of so much as gazing upon his perfect face.

"Amen," he said, not being the kind of man much given to prayer.

 

"Only you would run away and come back with a fucking tree," Billy said. "Only you, Goody. God damn it."

Goodnight considered making note of the way Billy only ever seemed to be losing his temper when Goodnight had indulged in what Billy considered to be exceptionally foolish behavior. It was a flaw in his otherwise flawless personality, and someone with Billy's best interests at heart surely ought to have felt obliged to point it out.

"They said they were friends of Faraday's. What was I supposed to tell them?"

"How about 'fuck off'?"

"I'd lost my horse." Goodnight sighed. "Is it safe to come to bed yet?"

"You need your sleep," Billy said, which was neither 'no' nor 'yes'. "You're not a young man anymore, Goody."

"All the more reason to enjoy the pleasures of life yet remaining to me." Goodnight decided to risk it - nothing to lose but his life, after all, and that had stopped having any great value to him some years ago. Billy's life, now, that was another thing. "Provided you're willing to indulge an old man."

"You're a fucking idiot," Billy said, which _was_ a 'yes'.

 

"One, humies are all idiots," Rocket said, going over the map of Rose Creek and its environs again.

"I am Groot."

"Two, Quill's the biggest idiot of the lot."

"I am Groot."

"I said 'big', not 'tall'. Sheesh. I knew I shouldn't have let you and Drax spend all that time together."

"I am Groot."

"Whatever." Rocket scoffed, then grinned and lifted his gun. "Three, I'm really going to enjoy tomorrow."

"I am Groot."

"So what if a lot of people are going to die? They're just humies! They won't even be humies we know! What, you want me to feel bad about killing a bunch of people we don't even know now? When did _that_ happen?"

"I am Groot."

"Yeah, yeah. Good night to you, too. Idiot."


End file.
